LATEST NEWS

March 2016: The Pagan Federation make timely donation to the Foundation for the financing of opening the exhibitions in Brighton . . . . . read more

Webstore

The Doreen Valiente Foundation official webstore offers books and other merchandise. All proceeds are used for the FOundation's charitable objects. Please visit www.shop.doreenvaliente.org

Make A Donation

The Doreen Valiente Foundation is a recognised UK charity. Please support us by donating to the protection of the collection of Doreen's Legacy and, if you are a UK tax payer, please fill in our Gift Aid form as well. All donations are currently being put towards the blue plaque scheme.

The Doreen Valiente Foundation was formed on the 6th March 2011 as a charitable trust and it took legal posession of the collection of artefacts etc that Doreen had left in her will to John Belham-Payne.

As well as the document preventing the collection from being split up, sold off or exploited for the gain of any individual, the charitable “objects” of the Foundation were declared in the Deed Of Trust as follows:

“To protect artefacts which are important to the past, present and future of pagan religions”

“To make the artefacts available for education and research”

The Trustees resolved to set about the following tasks:

Seek charitable status from the Inland Revenue and subsequently the Charities Commission.

To catalogue and prepare the artefacts for their new purpose, that of exhibition.

To begin to give talks about Doreen Valiente and her legacy and to deliver mobile exhibitions of the artefacts.

The first year was a busy one, charitable status was granted by the Inland Revenue and the Foundation launched its Gift Aid scheme whereby donations by UK tax payers can have the tax re-claimed by the Foundation each year. The Charity Commission application process for the status of “Registered Charity” is well underway and a number of talks and exhibitions have been held – click here for information about events.

In 2013 and 2014 the Foundation raised funds and succeeded in erecting heritage blue plaques to both Doreen Valiente (in Brighton) and Gerald Gardner (in Highcliffe). Several international conference events were organised and in 2015 a deal was struck to open the first public exhibition of items from the collection at Preston Manor, Brighton in collaboration with Royal Pavilion & Musuems Brighton & Hove.

The Foundation has received several pledges of further artefacts to add to the Collection and anticipates increased growth by future donations. The push is now underway to find a permanent home for the artefacts as a museum and talks are taking place to secure a location and funding for this, the location will also become a permanent place of education and research into Paganism and Pagan-related history which will be a physical “Centre For Pagan Studies”.